Shelving comprising composable modular elements



United States Patent Primary Examiner-Ramon S. Britts Attorney-Edwin E.Greigg ABSTRACT: A composable shelving formed by only two types ofmodular elements which can be interlockingly connected to each other toform shelving uprights and shelves; each of the upright elementscomprises a hollow body having an open lower end, and having anintennediate portion of a reduced size relative to the underlyingportion to provide a peripheral shoulder for the shelf element, and anupper portion of a reduced size relative to the intermediate portion forinserting in the open lower end of an overlying upright element; each ofthe shelf elements has at each end thereof an aperture, in which theintermediate portion of the associated upright element is inserted.

SI-IELVING COMPRISING COMPOSABLE MODULAR ELEMENTS This inventiongenerally relates to a composable shelving substantially formed bycombining only two types of modular elements with respect to theshelving shelves and uprights, which can be interlockingly connected andcomposable as desired to form bookcases or shelving of any shape andsize.

The use of modular elements for the shelvings according to the inventionallows an easier assembling and transportation thereof as the elementscomprising the shelving can be separately shipped and then assembled bythe user. Further, the use of composable modular elements enables theuser to form, for example, bookcases of suitable size and shapes and,where the modular elements are made of molded plastic material, it willsubstantially reduce the production costs, as it will suffice to useonly two molds for the upright and shelf elements of the bookcase,respectively.

The composable shelving according to the present invention substantiallycomprises a plurality of modular upright elements which can be jointinserted over one another, and a plurality of modular shelf elementswhich can be interlockingly connected at each end to an upright element,so that the assembly of the shelving elements will form a rigidstructure.

In order that the invention be more fully understood, reference will behad in the following to the appended drawing showing an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a shelving as provided by using the two typesof modular elements according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the shelving in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view showing a shelf element;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an upright element;

FIG 5 is an enlarged top view of the upright element shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the shelf element, partly in full view andpartly in sectional view as taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a leveling plate;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the plate in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of the plate in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, partly enlarged'front view of the upperportion of an upright element;

FIG. 12 is a top enlarged view showing a second embodiment for the shelfelement; and

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary vertical sectional front view showing two shelfelements, similar to those in FIG. 12, juxtaposed to each other. Thedirection of views in FIGS. 3-13 is based on the orientation ofcomponents in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The shelving according to the present invention is formed by combiningwith each other only two types of modular elements, particularly modularelements 1 superimposed to one another and suitable to constitute theshelving uprights, and elements 11 for making up the shelves, as clearlyshown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Each modular element 1 for the uprights, also referred to as uprightmodule, is particularly shown in'FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 11 of the appendeddrawings.

Referring to the above figures, it will be seen that the upright elementor upright module 1 has a hollow body formed of a base 1', at the top ofwhich an intermediate portion 2 is formed of reduced size relative tothe underlying base 1 to provide a peripheral step or shoulder 3 FIGS. 4and 5), so that the end of a shelf element 11 may rest thereon, and anupper end portion 4, the width of which being less than the intermediateportion 2 for providing two side shoulders 4'. The end portion 4 has itscorners suitably connected and is adapted to be inserted in the loweropen end of element 1 in order to joint two superimposed uprightelements. As shown in FIG. 6, inside the base 1 of each upright element1, two longitudinal ribs 5 and 6 are provided, parallel to each otherand the inner sides of which are spaced apart from one another by adistance corresponding to the width of the end portion 4 of an uprightelement to avoid the relative side displacement of the portion 4inserted therebetween, for superimposed upright elements 1 to form ashelving upright.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the intermediate portion 2 has longitudinallyextending end apertures or recesses 7 and 8, serving for a purpose to beexplained hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 of the appended drawings, a levelingplate 9 is shown therein and provided with hollow projections or lugs10, by which two or more leveling plates can be superimposed and jointedto one another. One or more leveling plates superimposed on one anothercan be inserted in the lower end of that upright element directlyresting on the ground FIGS. 1 and 2), thus to compensate for anygradient differential in the ground.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 7, it will be seen that therein a shelfelement or shelf module 11 is shown as constituting the second type ofmodular element forming the shelving. The shelf module 11 has ahorizontally extending shelf portion proper, the upper surface of whichserves to support articles such as books or the like. As shown in saidFIGS. at each end of a shelf element 11 a throughgoing opening oraperture is provided, respectively 12 and 13, which is so dimensionedthat only the upper end portion 4 of an upright element or module 1 maypass therethrough. Thus, during the simple assembling operation, as ashelf module 11 is lowered onto two horizontally spaced uprights 1, theupper end portion 4 thereof passes through a corresponding opening 12and 13, until the upper shoulder 4' of the intermediate portion 2engages the underside of the shelf face adjacent said openings 12, 13and the lower contour of the shelf module conforms to and abuts theshoulder 3 constituting the lower boundary of the intermediate portion2. In this manner several elements forming the shelving may beassembled, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the appended drawing. Ifthe distance, in a shelf module 11, between the underside of the shelfportion and the lower contour thereof equals the distance, in an uprightmodule 1, between the lower shoulder 3 and the upper shoulder 4', thedual support for shelf module 11 referred to herein above is ensured.

As shown in FIG. 7, at each end of the shelf element 1 l the hole, suchas 13, is defined between a first outer wall 13' and a second inner wall13" spaced apart from each other by an amount corresponding to the widthof the intermediate portion 2 of an upright element, so that theconnection between the two types of elements is rigid and slightlyforced to allow a required rigidity to the shelving structure. Further,as seen in FIGS. 1 or 2, at the holes 12 or 13 the lower edge of element11 rests on the shoulder 3 of the respective upright element 1 theretoconnected, whereas the overlying upright element, as inserted on theunderlying element, will rest by its lower edge on the upper face of theunderlying shelf element 11. Thus, the shelving assumes a rigidstructure.

The shelf element 11 shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 is only for composing asingle shelf shelving, as shown in FIG. 1.

When desiring to compose a multiple shelving, that is a shelving withshelves vertically superimposed and correspondingly also horizontallydrawn near one another, a modified form of the shelf element, as shownin FIG. 12, is to be used.

The shelf element 11' shown in FIG. 12 differs from the shelf element 11shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 only in that at least at one end thereof anaperture 12 or 13 has been provided, this aperture being laterally openby removing the above-mentioned outer wall 13, and in lieu thereof twoside lugs 14 have been provided, the lugs being inward facing andsuitably spaced apart from the inner wall 13" by an amount such that thelugs 14 for two adjoining shelf elements (FIG. 13) will insert just inthe apertures 7 and 8 provided at the ends of the intermediate portion 2of said upright element 1. The width of the lugs 14 of a shelf module 11 is not more than half the width of an aperture 7 or 8.

Thus, shelvings can be composed having both superimposed and juxtaposedshelf elements 11. Further, the shelf elements 11' can be readilyobtained by using the mold for the shelf elements ll, suitably adaptingit by introducing suitable shim at the two ends to enable said lugs 14to be formed.

It should be understood that what has been stated in the foregoing andshown in the appended drawings was given by example only, and thatfurther changes and modifications can be made thereto, without departingfrom the scope of the present invention.

lclaim:

1. In a shelving composable by modular elements, the improvementcomprising:

A. a shelf module having:

1. a shelf portion;

2. two end portions;

3. an elongated opening at least at one end portion, said opening havinga closed outline;

4. a lower contour spaced from said shelf portion; and

B. an upright module having:

1. a base portion including a bottom edge face;

2. a hollow portion open towards said bottom edge face;

3. an intermediate portion adjoining said base portion and reduced indimension with respect to said base portion to define a first shouldermeans; and

4. an upper end portion adjoining said intermediate portion and reducedin dimension with respect to said intermediate portion to define asecond shoulder means disposed above and spaced from said first shouldermeans; the spacing between the first and second shoulder means beingequal to the spacing between the undersurface of said shelf portion andsaid lower contour, said upper end portion having a cross-sectionalshape substantially corresponding to that of said elongated opening,whereby in an assembled condition said upper end portion of saidupright'module projects vertically beyond and is surrounded by saidelongated opening, said shelf portion rests on said second shouldermeans, and said lower contour rests on said first shoulder means, saidprojecting upper end portion of an upright module being insertable intosaid hollow portion of another upright module for securing to oneanother a desired number of upright modules in a superposed, nestedposition.

2. An improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein an upright modulesuperposed on another upright module rests solely on an upper face ofsaid shelf portion.

3. In a shelving composable by modular elements, the improvementcomprising:

A. a shelf module having:

1. two end portions;

2. an opening adjacent each end portion, at least one of the openingshaving an open outline;

3. side lugs adjacent said opening of open outline, said lugs directedinwardly towards one another; and

B. an upright module having:

1. a base portion including a bottom edge face;

2. a hollow portion open towards said bottom edge face;

3. an intermediate portion adjoining said base portion and reduced indimension with respect to said base portion to define a shoulder means;

4. an upper end portion adjoining said intermediate portion and reducedin dimension with respect to said intermediate portion, said projectingupper end portion of an upright module is insertable into said hollowportion of another upright module for securing to one another a desirednumber'of upright modules in a superposed, nested position; and

5. vertically extending lateral recess means provided on saidintermediate portion; in an assembled condition said upper end portionprojects vertically beyond and is partially surrounded by said openinghaving an open outline, said shelf module rests on said shoulder meansof said upright module and said side lugs extend into said lateralrecess means. 4. An improvement as defined 1n claim 3, wherein the width3233 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No,5491020 Dated December 22, 1970 Inventor-( Olaf V011 Bohr It iscertified that error-appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

r- In the heading, after "Patented Dec. 22, 1970" insert [32] PriorityMarch 18, 1969 Italy Signed and sealed this 15th day of August 1974.

(SEAL) Attes't:

McCOY M. GIBSON, JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Commissioner of Patents AttestingOfficer

